Boyd argues that art, including fiction, is a unique human adaptation whose chief function is "for improving human cognition, cooperation and creativity". -- "Art alters our minds because it engages and reengages our attention," Boyd writes. This may sound obvious, but for Boyd it has sweeping implications for the content of stories. For one, it means that surprise is crucial - fiction must appeal to our evolved preference to pay attention to the unexpected.

“There are no known astronomical size solid (or floppy) objects that are shaped as strings,” he said. “It thus remains for humans to make them. As stated by a referee of our paper ‘No one is an expert on the ideas displayed in this paper.’ At this moment, the only judge is pure mathematics and it shows that our RSE can work, in a fascinating fashion.”